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Contest

Welcome to the home of the Lucky Clover Picture Book Contest. This quarterly contest is held four times a year:

WINTER (January, February, March)

SPRING (April, May, June)

SUMMER (July, August, September)

FALL (October, November, December)

Thewinner will receive afree detailed critiquefrom me. I know it's not a national contest that offers cash or publication. But it's a fun way to participate in entering a contest, get a bit of visibility, and boost your confidence.I will announce the winner's name and story title (as seen below). I promise to give my honest opinion and follow Margot Finke's advice of what a professional critique should include (even though mine are free). But actually, you'd WIN it! So go ahead, be brave. There will be one winner per quarter, maybe two. Please enter only one of the four categories per contest:

EARLY PBs (age 2-5) Just think pre-school. (Shorter, simpler, etc.)

REGULAR PBs (age 4-8) The majority of PB's in elementary schools are these.

NON-FICTION PBs (age 5-10) The market always has room for these.

RHYMING PBs Hard to write well. Make it shine.

Entries will be judged based on the following criteria: proper age range,1500 words or less,fits the category you entered,creativity,language,marketability, andstellar writing.

How to enter:

Follow my blog via e-mail (there's a link to the right).

Enter by sending me an e-mail at WILDBIKE @ NETZERO . NET, OR you may submit your story via my contact form.

Subject line should read: SEASON BLOG CONTEST: TITLE (CATEGORY)

Ex. SPRING BLOG CONTEST: THE RAIN (REGULAR)

The story must NOT be an attachment. Copy and paste the story into the body of the e-mail.

Once I post the winner, wait 1-2 weeks for your critique to arrive in your e-mail's inbox.

***You may enter any time. I will read, review, and keep track of all entries throughout each contest. I will post the winners on the 22nd of the month following the end of each contest. And I will provide a link below to show off the winners!***

Disclaimer:I will treat all writers with a professional level of respect. All original works will be kept private and confidential and will not be shared with others. This is my promise. I may change and edit the contest and rules over time according to the number of entries I may receive, etc.

Reminder: If ever you should get your winning manuscript published, be sure to let me know. I'd love to interview you for my monthly HIGH FIVE feature, where I interview debut picture book authors! Published authors* are allowed to enter (but only if you have two or fewer books published).

When will the winners be announced?Summer (July, August, September): announced in October (Deadline Sept. 30)Fall (October, November, December): announced in JanuaryWinter (January, February, March): announced in AprilSpring (April, May, June): announced in July

“Thanks! I've worked on this opening a lot! So I'm pretty relieved you didn't have a ton of comments. Hopefully that means I'm getting closer. But I've totally lost perspective, so getting feedback from fresh eyes was terrific! Thank you so much!” –Laura Pauling, author of the Holly Hart Cozy Mysteries and the Prom Impossible series

“Thanks for your comments, Christie! It is so nice to have another set of eyes! I can definitely see some of the points you made. I will get to work starting some revisions.” –Juliette Wilk

“I also find that a lot of my stories are very similar in structure and plot. I find your comments helpful! Thanks. And thanks for sending them so quickly!” –Katie Griffith

“Great comments Christie, as always. Thanks! I'm going to spend some more time working on this next week.” –Julie Hedlund, author of My Love For You is the Sun

“Thanks for your suggestions. I agree with your suggestions about the pacing. I will keep playing around with it.” –Valerie Larson

“You did a wonderful job with the critique. I think all the changes you made will make my story so much better. I appreciate the in depth editing throughout the entire story, the advice you supplied me with and all the time you must have put into it. I'm so glad I entered your contest.”

I help writers create compelling stories and build submission-ready manuscripts so they can run with their writing. Connect with hundreds of other writers on my FREE Facebook group, Writers Who Run. bit.ly/writerswhorun

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